By Bonface Mulyungi

Students were sent into a panic at Sameta Boys Senior School in Kisii County after a fire broke out at one of the institution’s dormitories on Monday, June 1. 

Preliminary reports indicate that the fire broke out during the day while students were attending classes.

By Monday afternoon, the blaze had intensified and was visible from quite a distance, as area locals and students rushed to try to contain the blaze. 

Videos that circulated on social media have since revealed that a considerable section of the dormitory was engulfed in flames, even as students attempted to salvage what they could.

No casualties have been reported at the time of publication of this article, although one student, who was reportedly inside the building when the fire broke out sustained minor injuries.  

The cause of the fire has not yet been established, and authorities have not indicated whether foul play is suspected. Investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The school joins a growing list of schools that have witnessed fire outbreaks, with the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Education issuing a raft of directives affecting all boarding schools after 16 girls died from a fire incident in Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil on May  28.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen ordered that all schools install CCTVs in key areas of the school premises to monitor student activity, to prevent and counter future fire incidents. 

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, on the other hand, ordered a fresh round of inspections across all boarding schools in the country to curb future incidents over the next 10 days.

Once the inspection process is complete, strict action will be taken against the principals, teachers, or schools found to be endangering students’ lives in boarding schools.

The CSs reiterate that the directives will prioritise student safety in boarding institutions and ensure schools comply with established safety standards.

These inspections are largely expected to focus on the dormitories, since the Interior Ministry, through their preliminary reports of previous incidents, flagged that most of the school fires often target school dormitories.